Naruto: The Dolphin Trainee
by Mr. Butter
Summary: Naruto decides to be honest in a discussion with Iruka. Watch what can happen when the supposed 'Dead-Last' is given the chance to shine at the hands of an EX-ANBU.


**Chapter 1**

**Beginnings**

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><p><strong>Hi everyone. I am a new author and this is my first project so to speak. I am hesitant about submitting any work but I figured I would so please let me know if it was goodbad. Thank you!  
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><p><strong>Naruto, age 10<strong>

"Naruto!"

The sharp cry was accompanied by a weapon whistling towards the unaware boy and exploding on contact with his unprotected skull, sending him hurtling backwards onto his ass. The only sound that filled the area after the vicious attack was that of laughter emanating from the boy's classmates as they enjoyed the misfortune of their peer. The target laid on his back looking up at the ceiling as his left eye twitched rapidly.

"GAH! Iruka what the hell?!" The young boy roared as he leapt back to his feet only to come face-to-much-larger-face with Iruka's famous 'Big-Head' Jutsu.

"How about you PAY ATTENTION MORE and I won't have to keep buying more erasers?! And guess who's beating the chalk out of them after class?! AGAIN?!" The large headed man roared as he slowly turned a rather magnificent shade of magenta, "And its IRUKA-SENSEI!"

"Oh come on Ir...Sensei! That jobs boring!" Naruto began before seeing a rather large vein begin to throb on his teacher's temple, "Ha…nevermind…"

Iruka snorted, complete with smoke billowing from his enlarged nostrils, before his head shrunk back and his regular Chūnin instructor stood before them all again, he opened his mouth to begin again his lecture on the Second Hokage's incredible ability to utilize water Jutsu without a water source present when the shrill sound of the bell interrupted him. In a surge of motion the students bolted for the door and freedom including one orange blur who Iruka picked out of the crowd with ease and grabbed with a lazy swipe of his arm just as said blur was lunging for the doorway. He lifted the struggling child to eye level and hid his glee at seeing the child pale and chuckle nervously.

-**Later that Evening-**

Naruto felt him give an internal sigh as he finally finished beating the last of Iruka's makeshift weapons. He had been at it for several hours now as Iruka magically seemed to have more and more erasers ready whenever Naruto felt he was getting closer to finishing. However it seemed that now he had finally exhausted Iruka's supply and he would be free to leave, or so he thought…

"Naruto?" Iruka called as his student placed his hand upon the doorknob, "Come here for a moment"

Naruto bit back a snappy retort and reasoned that the faster he listened to Iruka the faster he could get out of here and get something in his stomach, which coincidentally chose this moment to grumble at him. His complaints died on his lips however when he saw the two steaming piles of food sat upon his teacher's desk.

"Would you like to join me Naruto?" His teacher asked with a smile as he gestured to a seat opposite his own.

Naruto seemed to disappear and reappear in the seat as his eyes roamed over his food, with a smile from one and a confirming hand gesture from the other both began to dig into the food and for several minutes the only sound was that of their chopsticks tapping against the bowls. After a few more minutes of silence Iruka decided that talking to Naruto now was as good a time as any, and patted his lips with his napkin to clean them of any excess food before addressing his…'unique' student.

"That was awesome Iruka-Sensei!" Naruto sighed as he leaned forward again in his chair, "I should get detention more often!".

"Naruto you should really try and apply yourself in class" Iruka sighed with a sweat-drop though there was a smile tugging at his lips.

"I do try! It's just so boring…" Naruto admitted with a scuff of his show against the polished floor.

Iruka ran his hands through his hair at that, while he was no fan of history in his own days as a student he understood that it was a necessity and at least grit his teeth and made it through it, but it seemed as though Naruto did not consider that a worthwhile endeavor. He decided that he would need to try a different approach to try and reach him.

"Naruto…you know that the Genin examination is in a week right?" Considering the way Naruto suddenly found the floor interesting he gathered that he did indeed know, "Do you think you're ready?"

Naruto opened his mouth to proclaim that he would definitely pass the Genin exam and become the greatest Hokage there ever was when something stopped him. Maybe it was the food, maybe it was the time of day but something stopped Naruto Uzumaki from repeating the same tired lines he had always repeated. Instead Naruto did something he did with far less regularity than someone his age should have done. Instead of lying to himself and his teacher Naruto decided to admit how he truly felt. A small decision that would echo in the future as Naruto Uzumaki decided to be honest for once to his teacher.

"I…don't think I'm going to pass" Naruto admitted with a shrug of his small shoulders, "I don't know how to transform and my other two skills are almost as bad".

Iruka had already begun shaking his head at Naruto's proclamation when he stopped and took a full moment to double-check what he had heard and couldn't believe his ears, Naruto Uzumaki just admitted he wasn't going to pass?

"Naruto?" Iruka asked and could have smacked himself when he realized he couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice.

Naruto looked up and Iruka drew in a sharp breath when he saw not an energetic if sometimes lazy young boy in front of him, but instead saw a young boy whose eyes were filled with tears and threatening to shed at any moment. Iruka saw not the container for the Kyuubi but a young boy who had lost everything to the beast. What shook Iruka to his core most of all though was that he didn't see Naruto Uzumaki, instead he saw a younger version of himself staring back at him with the same eyes he had seen reflected in the mirror countless times upon realizing he was now an orphan. Naruto was just like him but he had never truly realized how similar they were until this very moment.

"I'm sorry Sensei!"

Iruka was shaken from his thoughts and his younger self was replaced with a now-crying Naruto who was gripping the desk as hard as he could as his tears splashed down into his empty bowl.

"I try as hard as I can! I just can't get my Chakra to listen to me!" he wailed as he slammed a fist down upon the desk, "But I swear I will try my hardest a thousand times if that's what it takes to pass this exam!"

His heart broke for his young student as he wondered for just how long Naruto had been holding in these feelings. In all the time he had known Naruto he had never shown such emotion when it wasn't pulling a prank or shouting back at someone. Iruka realized that Naruto's wall had cracked and he could truly see the sadness and fears that the young boy felt. It was for this reasons that Naruto suddenly felt himself lifted into the arms of his teacher as Iruka embraced him.

"It's alright Naruto" Iruka murmured as he held him close, "Let it all out".

Ten years of being alone, ignored and hated for reasons Naruto didn't even begin to understand bubbled to the surface as they had many times before, but unlike those times Naruto didn't forced a smile onto his face. Naruto let those feelings race to the surface and let out a strangled cry as he gripped his sensei's vest and cried.

Naruto cried for every birthday he had spent with only Iruka and the Old Man as company.

He cried that he couldn't talk to other children without being shooed away by their parents.

He cried for not being able to walk down the street without being glared at constantly.

He wept though, at finally having a chance to let these feelings have a much needed outlet and at finally having someone that he trusted enough to let these feelings out for.

And through it all Iruka was his rock as he gently laid the boy down on his chair and knelt down to hold him as he let the young boy cry for everything that the world had denied or turned against him. A decision began to surface in his mind and as the seconds passed it cemented itself there. Iruka knew what he could do, what he should and what he would do for this tortured young soul. He would show him that dreams were worth fighting for, and that the world may have given him a hard start but he could defeat the world itself and make his own destiny.

Naruto Uzumaki would be Hokage.


End file.
